Monday, October 31, 2011

In October of every year the Northern Virginia Regoinal Park Authority (NVRPA) adopts its budget for the next fiscal year. This early adoption allows this information to be considered as the six member jurisdiction develop their budgets for the coming year. Below is the cover letter of the budget. Budgets, and audits are posted on www.nvrpa.org to provide maximum financial transparency.

NVRPA is one of the most efficient public agencies in the country. And providing regional attractions that are central to the tourism economy of Northern Virginia.

Despite three years of economic recession, a focus on efficiency and a commitment to our mission and strategic plan have kept NVRPA in a positive position. Our continued focus on achieving results that support our mission and enhance our community drove the development of our FY2013 budget, which represents a total Operating Budget of $20,748,582, and a Capital Budget of $4,940,253.

Efficiency:

NVRPA is one of the most cost effective park agencies in the nation. For FY2013, NVRPA will support 83% of its operating costs with enterprise operations (non-tax revenues). The percentage of taxpayer support for operations has gone from 20.01% in FY2005 to 17.11% in FY2013.

These remarkable statistics reflect several factors. First, the taxpayer support from our member jurisdictions has not kept pace with either inflation or population growth over the last several years. Due to the recession, we have not adjusted the per capita appropriations rate to keep pace with inflation since 2008, and we have not updated the appropriations to account for population growth for three years in a row. Secondly, during the same time we have continued to work on enhancing our services to the public, which has resulted in the growth and diversification of our enterprise revenues.

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Salaries as a % of operating expenses
(2005, 2009, 2013)

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Another important indicator is our significant gain in productivity. In FY2005, salaries made up 54.9% of our operating costs, and, in the FY2013 budget, salaries are only 49.2% of operating costs. This represents at least a 5.7% increase in productivity. We have grown our services and operations significantly faster than our staffing and related expenses.

NVRPA has a long history of delivering conservation and recreation facilities and programs in a very business-like manner, with a high focus on innovation and efficiency. Continuing this trend into FY2013 will be a 1.23% decrease in General Fund revenues, and a 4.26% increase in Enterprise Fund revenues.

Focus on Mission:

“Conservation of regional natural and cultural resources” is a central part of our mission. Over the last few years we have added over 450 acres of new parkland. We anticipate that new parks like White’s Ford and Gilbert’s Corner will have basic facilities to allow greater public access in FY2013. By FY2013 we also anticipate that we will add two new properties to our operations, the Webb Sanctuary in Clifton and the Rust Sanctuary in Leesburg, as a result of a new partnership with the Audubon Naturalist Society. The operational revenues and expenses for these two sites are included in the FY2013 budget.

Providing “diverse regional recreational and educational opportunities” is another important part of our mission. In support of that, we are anticipating a more than 20% increase in special events revenues for FY2013. Included in this increase is a new holiday light display that will be installed at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, as well as projected increases at the Bull Run annual Festival of Lights and a variety of smaller increases related to events in a number of parks. Our plans for 2013 include creating a “diverse regional recreational” experience at Upton Hill Regional Park with a high adventure ropes course. Regional “educational opportunities” will be expanded with War of 1812 interpretation at the Carlyle House Historic Park. And, we hope to better connect the region’s trail network in a number of ways, including a connector trail between the W&OD Trail and Meadowlark Gardens, and a trail development partnership involving the City of Fairfax and other partners.

Our strategic plan, which was adopted in late 2007, has been a driving force in all that we have done over the last few years. Integration of this plan with our annual budget, and our high focus on budget transparency, have resulted in our budgets winning the Government Financial Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Awards for the last four years. Early in FY2013, NVRPA will adopt a new strategic plan that we are currently working on, and that will guide our actions and promote further accomplishments in the years to come.

Economic Engine for the Region:

While some local parks are designed to primarily serve the needs of their neighborhoods, the Regional Park system is focused on “destination sites.” As such, we contribute to the backbone of the tourism economy for Northern Virginia. Tourism is the Number Two industry in Virginia. In FY2012, NVRPA hosted a national conference that contributed around $350,000 to the local economy, and organized the Battle of Ball’s Bluff re-enactment, attracting thousands of people to travel to our area and contributed more than $1,000,000 to the region’s economy. In FY2013, NVRPA will contribute millions to the local tourism economy, helping the region recover from the recession. These contributions will include the following:

• Over 400 premier events, receptions and weddings at NVRPA locations

• First full year of the internationally unique Korean Bell Garden at Meadowlark Gardens, attracting visitors from around the world

• Attracting over 15,000 spectators from all over the east coast to the rowing regattas at the world class facilities at Sandy Run Regional Park

• 22,000 camp site rentals, serving tourists from all over the nation

• Continued leadership role in promoting the 150th Anniversary of the American Civil War, with numerous programs, exhibits and activities to attract visitors

• Events and exhibits to attract historic tourism for the War of 1812

• Promotion of the W&OD Trail as a cycling tourist destination of national significance

• Continued growth of numerous destination events at the Bull Run Special Events Center and numerous other parks within the NVRPA system

The NVRPA Board and staff have been working on a series of new facilities to be constructed over the next several years, which will expand the great attractions our region has to offer and contribute more to our economy.

For a public investment of just $4.63 per capita ($2.0626 for operating & $2.57 for capital) the citizens of our region benefit from nearly 11,000 acres of regional parks, much of which buffer our major rivers, and provide remarkable nature and historical experiences. This investment also supports and enhances the local economy, and is leveraged by one of the most efficient and entrepreneurial public agencies in the nation.

Monday, October 24, 2011

October 22, 2011 Ball's Bluff Battlefield Park in Leesburg Virginia saw a conflict between blue and grey clad forces like it had not seen in 150 years. The re-enactment of the 150th anniversary of the battle included 1,000 re-enactors and 2,000 spectators.

Spectators parked at Morven Park and there were able to see living history camps, sutler shops, vintage photography, as well as the Morven Park mansion with an exhibit of Civil War relics many of them from Ball's Bluff.

Spectators were transferred by buses to the battlefield park which is owned and operated by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Park staff and volunteers managed all the logistics in a seamless manner.

The battle itself took place in the same 12 acre clearing in the woods where the battle in October of 1861 took place. This event is one of the hallmark events of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War and quite possibly the best battle re-enactment in recent history. It is the best for the following reasons:

• It took place on the actual battlefield. This is extremely rare since the National Park Service does not allow this and they own most of the major battlefields. The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority is not bound by those rules, so you had the rare occurrence of a 150th anniversary battle re-enactment taking place on the actual battlefield.

• Because Ball's Bluff took place in a relatively small clearing in the woods, you have a very intimate setting for a battle re-enactment. Since many Civil War battles took place on vast open fields, it can be hard for spectators to get a good feel for what took place, while looking through binoculars at units in the distance. At Ball's Bluff all the action took place just a matter of tens of yards in front of the spectators.

• All the considerable logistics of transporting 3,000 people from one site to another, and having everything work smoothly went off with great precision.

In addition to the re-enactment and the other attractions mentioned, on Sunday a delegation from Oregon presented a resolution passed by the Oregon State Legislature recognizing Senator Edward Baker who was killed in this battle. That evening there was an illumination commemorating the fallen in this battle.

It was a spectacular weekend of events commemorating one of the important early battles in the American Civil War.

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Lead Like a General was recently selected as a 2012 Finalist for the Eric Hoffer Book Award. This is a very nice honor. My book on Leadership and the Civil War has now been reviewed in a number of media outlets. The latest is an interview done by the Civil War Trust. Below are the links to the newspaper and magazine reviews that have been published.

Friday, October 07, 2011

In the class I am teaching at GMU yesterday the lesson was on developing a marketing plan. With the news of Steve Jobs passing, I started the class with a great video clip of Jobs talking about marketing (link below).

We proceeded with the planned lecture on marketing plan development but with the measuring stick of "what would Steve say about this?" Jobs was a genius on many fronts. Most people focus on the many technology developments, but he was just as brilliant in understanding the essence of marketing. A key component was marketing values, and not getting caught up in the spec sheet for the product. People are seeking out experiences and values, not products.

The world needs more people of Steve's vision, and billiance! More people that "think different."

In the August issue of Park and Recreation Magazine (a national publication) the NVRPA Nature Nuts program was also featured in an article.

In Richard Louv's best selling book, Last Child in the Woods he coined the term "nature deficit disorder" for the lack of time that children today spend in nature. This disconnection from nature is at the root of many physical and mental health issues. The Nature Nuts program aims to address this issue in very tangible ways.

From programs focused on children to efforts aimed at encouraging families to spend more time in natural settings like camping, boating, and hiking, this initiative expands successful existing programs and facilities to have a better effect on this national issue.

Tuesday, October 04, 2011

The Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority hosted the 40th annual Special Parks District Forum from Sept. 25-28, an event that brought nearly 120 parks officials from the U.S. and Canada to visit the local area.

Participants toured Mount Vernon, Manassas Battlefield, Meadowlark Botanical Gardens, Pohick Bay and other local facilities as part of their trip.

The forum included topics “like how best to connect children and nature, the latest in environmental land management and exciting new trends in creating recreational experiences that are drawing more of the public than ever before to our parks,” said Paul Gilbert, executive director of the regional park authority.

The event generated an estimated $348,300 for the local economy, according to an analysis by Visit Fairfax.

About Me

I am the Executive Director of NOVA Parks (Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority). Prior to that, I was the President of the Northern Virginia Conservation Trust. NOVA Parks is a regional park system made up of three Counties and three Cities in Northern Virginia (Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun Counties, and the Cities of Alexandria, Fairfax and Falls Church). NVRPA operates 30+ park and owns over 11,000 acres.
My family moved to Fairfax County when I was 1, so I am close to a native. I have a bachlors degree from St. Andrews University in N.C. and a masters degree from George Mason University. I also have a Certificate of Professional Development from the Wharton School of Business at UPA. I served on the Board of Regents for the NRPA Revenue Development and Management School, and am on the Board of Directors for Visit Fairfax.I am an Executive in Residense at George Mason University for their Recreation Management Program.
I also published two books one on leadership and the Civil War called "Lead Like a General." The other book is "High Performance Agencies: The Entrepreneurial Model for Public Park, Recreation and Tourism Organizations."